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Friday, February 08, 2013

Full Circle

A little over ten years ago ( =__= ah, I feel oooold) while still in high school, I discovered the art of graphic novels and fell in love. As a result, I decided to create a story of my very own. A sort of secret world I could escape to. I remember a golden stag with silver antlers and that my would-be Self was meant to protect him. I also remember a pirate. This went on for several years, me trying to construct a coherent story while rendering images that were yet too amateurish for the world to see.

During a summer trip to Colombia, frustrated and unable to finish my story, I locked it away someplace safe and swore I would one day find its purpose.

Then, a couple of nights ago I had a sudden thought. An 'aha!' moment, if you will. I dug through some old files and found a drawing of my old would-be Self again. I cringed at my lack of skill, yet admired the stroke of each line despite of it. It was like finding a long lost friend. I thought, "There's something here. Why not use it?" After all, I'd been meaning to create a reoccurring character for my illustrations. A traveler of sorts, who could wander through a mysterious world filled with otherworldly creatures and somehow get herself into trouble along the way.

I drew inspiration from one of my favorite books, The Little Prince. I wanted my would-be Self (a child-like me) to mirror my allure of the unknown, to meet peculiar characters throughout her journey, much like the little prince when he leaves his home planet in order to explore the universe.

So, I did.

Below is a preliminary doodle I did last night after sorting through my old sketches. I also did a few quick paintings on my Nintendo DS with Art Academy. Such a nifty little game. I hope to work on a final character design soon, so keep an eye out.